Written By nyit on Sunday, April 3, 2011 | 7:40 PM

Wheel and tire upgrade package transforms handling from ho-hum to almost exciting

Cons:

Mo’ money for “F Sport” performance goodies

Rear seat space only comfortable for munchkins and smurfs

Just what is entry-level luxury, anyway? If you pony up $34,627 for a base model Lexus IS sedan, what do you get above and beyond having your basic transportation needs met? Since it’s based on the Toyota Camry platform, is an IS 250 worth the Lexus surcharge?The answer is yes, and here are some of the reasons why it pays to buy this Lexus. To augment comfort and wear, a full leather interior is included as standard equipment on the IS. To silence unwanted noise, sheets of asphalt line the roof and floor pan. To energize your driving, a 6-speed, manual transmission puts this 2.5 liter, 204hp sedan on the same map as BMW’s 3 Series. To update the roadside presence of the IS, Lexus has fitted the 2011 version with projector bulb headlamps and LED brake, tail and license plate lights.Stylists have so successfully revamped airflow around the sedan that its coefficient of drag now stands at a remarkably low 0.28. All these subtle touches may not become immediately apparent to you on first glance, but in the aggregate, they move the basic IS a couple of rungs higher on the luxo-ladder than before. If the previous version opened the portal to luxury living, the latest version whisks you through that door and plants you in the foyer. It’s not an LS460 by any means, but it’s a lot closer to prime cut Lexus than it used to be.